Cotton-picker.



R. S. WHEELERJl COTTON PIQKBR. APPLICATION FILED FEB. 3, 1910.

Eatented Aug.29,1911.

3 SHEETS-"SHE R. S. WHEELER.

COTTON PICKER,

APFLIGATION FILED FEB s, 1910.

Patented Aug. 29, 1911.

3 SHEETS-SHEBT 2.

#u ff R. s. WHEELER.

l COTTON PICKER. APPLIOATION FILED FEB. 1910.

Patented Aug. 29, 1911.

3 sHBETs-sHET a.

i Looiyrao.

narra sans nur irri@ COTTON-PICKER.

Specification off-Letters Patent. Pa'llted Aug., 21:9, i911.

Application led February-3, 1910. Serial No. 541,852.

To all 'whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ROBERT' S, WHEELER, citizen of the United States,` residing at l\lorristovvn, Pennsylvania, have invented certain new. and useful Improvement-s in Cotton-Pickers, oi Which the followingA is a speciiieation.

My present invention is an improvement upon the form of apparatus disclosed in Letters Patent of the United States granted to me the 25th day of May, 1909, #922647, and it consists in the features and eoinbination and arrangement of parts hereinafter described and particularly set forthin the appended claims.

In the accompanying drawings Figure 1 is an elevation of the main portion of the apparatus, a part of the casing being shown in section, this view including also a detailed front View of a trash arrester; Fig. -2 is a plan view of the main portionof the apparatus with a. part of the casing in section; Fig. 3 is a transverse sectional view substantially along theline 33 ofF ig. 1;

Fig. i is a detail plan view of a means for adJusting the picker belt; Fig. 5 is a detail View in section of a' driving clutch; Fig. 6 is a detail view of a portion of the picker belt, the brush and aY guard or shield for these parts; Fig. 7 is a detail view of: the guard shown in Fig. 6; Fig. 8 is a plan view of a portion of the frame with a supporting bridge for the belt; Fig. 9 is a detail sectional View of a non-'fouling pulley at the end of the picker arm. Fig. 10 is a detail lplan View; Fig. 11 isa side view of the guard in place.

In these drawings, 1 indicates a main frame of any suitable iorni containedl within a easing 2, the saidmain frame having pro jecting atthe liront thereof arms or bars 3 arranged 1n pairs and converging slightly toward the front end and braced by cross pieces t.v These arms, at their front ends, aii'ordbearlngs for a pulley 5 mounted upon a bolt or axle and having aslightlyonvex surface adapted to receive the picker belt 7. This picker belt has points thereon of any suitable forni to engagethe cotton and detach it from theplant, and convey. it rear Wardly into the casing- 'of the apparatus. The pulley 5 is provided with recesses. 8 which receive flanges 9 oi' side plates or shields 10, which are mounted upon the axle or bolt 6, and bear upon the ends of a bushing 11 arranged Within the pulley, the ar rangement being such that When the nut 12 1s turned to' tighten the parts in the bearings, the shields or guard plates 10.will be V forced against the end of t-he bushing so that they Will be held stationary while the pulley Will be free to rotate between them. The function of these guard or shield plates is to rprevent the fouling of this pulley by fibers of the cotton getting in between the said pulley and the sides of the frame, and wrapping around, thuspreventing thepul ley from having free movement and causing a jam at this point. The guard plates have their peripheries extending above the periphery of the pulley, and inthe space thus formed the belt 7 moves.

In rear of the pulley 5 I arrange upon the casing a trash arrester 13 consisting of a finger depending from the casing. to a point slightly above the belt and curving slightly tpward the front at its lower end. This serves to stop all large trash such as pieces of broken bolls, iwhich, ii carried in, would clog the interior parts and stop the Working of the apparatus. lt also serves to 'spread the cotton on the belt and assists the action of the arresters 11i, which' .consist of lingers or otherwise be possible, enabling the brushto remove the cotton from the picker belt without being strained or clogged by locks or knotted cotton or .byv a full boll coming through all in one piece. The belt is driven,

as in the patent above referred to, through gearing at 16 connected With a rear pulley 17 mounted in the frame, as shown in Figs. i 1 and 3. rlhe shaft carrying this pulley and one of the gear 1ne1nbers, as shown at 1 8, is mounted in non-fouling `ball bearings 15).; The gearing is driven from a suitable shaft 20 through aclutoh 21, suitable anti-friction thrust bearings being employed at 22. `The clutch is operated from a finger piece 28 through a rod 2/1 connected with a lever 25 engaging a groove 26 in one of the clutchA Inenibers'by means of a roller bearing on the clutch 1forli. The brush 15, which .is situo gaged thereby.

ated'lwthin the casing in rear of the inner end ot the belt, is driven through gearing .27 from the said shalt 20;

I show at 28 in Fig. l and in detail in Fig. (3 a guard or shield for protesting the rear end of the belt und the brush.- lt has a flange 28a which. lits vover the end of the brush hub andthe axle, providing at this point a stationaryface pfliich reaches out to thebase 'of the bristles or Wires of the brush. It is also provided at 28h with u detlector or funnel-shaped portion 'formed by flaring upwardly .and outwardly the wall of the guard immediately in rear of the belt, the upper outer end ot the said llared portion contacting With the inside of the casing, lso that, as the .cotton lis caused to move downwardlyrover the rear or inner pulley, tl1is',deflector or funnel-shaped portion Will direct vit to thentace of the brush to be en- At the Jfront, end of this guard plate l. provide a linger 29 reaching in under the belt and servingfto lift up any cotton hanging from the belt and place it on top thereof, so as tobein line with the brush to be engaged thereby. lThis linger will prevent the cotton from collecting under the belt or around the rear pulley, and clogging tl.1e,san1e. l prefer to form this lguard having the three portions described of one piece, though l do not limit' myself .in this respect. The main body` of the guard, as Well as( the portions above particularly referred to, also serve to guide the cotton.

ln order to properly support the belt at .its .upper side, I provide a bridge 30 supported Von the forwardly extending frame ortion/'and l in closel beneath the u u er 40 P Y g .l iP

branch 'of' the belt, the purpose being to preventfthe belt from sagging at this point when the arrest'ers 14 engage .large or closely vlocked bolls of cotton. This bridge serves toV make the arresters perform their Worlcfin a lsatisfactory manner, and with it the belt does vnot have to be tight, and thus there is lessstr-.ain and less power required to drive the machine. l show at 3l a relieving comb for the brush, the function being particu-l larlyfto. 'clean the brush of damp cotton. At 32 l show .an air' conduit which also forms Ao neside of the picker frame, and thus dispenses 'with extra. tubingat this' point. In

order. to `tighten or loosen the-belt, l pro-- vide' cross' arms 33l connect/ed with the bars or tubes 3,'-and between these cross arms is Y arranged anut 134C engaging a screw-threaded. port-ion 3o of a stein 3G iixedin the main trarne, so that by turning this nut the tubular barsh Sinay be inadeto more in either one di.reet iou"cr tlie'otherfupon the fixed A,gi'iides 37 llo thus tighten or loosen the belt.

l claim :remy'inyention y hln 'combination in a cotton pletter a traveling piclrez: belt, n nilleyv for the belt having on each side un annular recess, guard plates ixed relatively to thepulley and having annular flanges entering-.the said annular recess with their outer faces in the saine plane substantially with the periphery of the pulley and having peripheral flanges eX- tending out beyond tlielannularilanges to4 bearing upon the ends of the bushing and" held in fixed positionby the bolt, saj d guardv plates havinginwardly extendingilanges substantially llusli with the periphery ofthe pulley and entering the recesses at the edges of the pulley and having peripheral flanges" extending out beyond the annular flanges to receive the belt between them.

3. In combination with the picker belt and pulleys and brush, an inclined deflector be. tween the'discharge end of the belt and the brush, said deliector inclining,r upwardl and outwardly to direct cotton from the siA es of the apparatusinto the working iene 'of the brush, substantially as describec e. ln combination with the picker belt and supporting pulleys, aguvard having a finger under the belt and inclining upwardly in the direction of movement of .the belt Afior "lifting the cotton onto the upper side of said belt, substantially' as described.A

i ln combination With a main frame the l' picker belt and vfront and rear pulleys,

the.y latter v pulley being y supported on i the iiiai1i.t'rame, 'a frame supporting the Jfront pulley having .cross'bars 33, a threaded stein fixed te vthe main-frame and extending through said cross bars, an'dga nut 'engaging the said threaded lstem be# tween the cross bars to adjust the position of "the pulley carryingl frame for l tightening the belt, substantially as described.'

i' (3; In combination with a picker belt, a pulley with means for driving the saine, `a supporting bridge arranged under the belt` and extending only part- Way of the length of v the belt, said bridgeV being arrange-dto support.'the belt but to -leave e :tree portion between its rear end and the adjacent pull-I ley, and a series of ar-rosters arrangedV over --the belt, one of said arresters being arranged' v @over-the free pori-,ion 'ct the beltbeyondlthe fend of thel bridge, substantially describedi'4 'l'. ln eor'nbinaticn in a" cotton piclrei `traveling picker belt, a pulley for the belt.

having a recess formed. at each side thereof,

' and guard plates'ffixed in relation to -tlie pulley and havinglanges extending across y the crevice between the Guard late end the end 'of the pulley, and intor the said recess,A

the'outer face of the `flanges being substanl pulley to direct` cotton from the sides of the 'tially in the same plane with the periphery "apparatus into the Working plane of the of the pulley, substantially as described. brush, substantially as described.

" 8. In combination with the Apicker belt In testimony whereof, I affix my signature ad pulleys and brush,4 a Ideflector between l in presence of two witnesses.

' the discharge end of the belt and the brush, said deflector consisting of a plate having on its inner side a recess the Wall Aof which n- Witnesses: elines upwardly and outwardly, and directly I KATHRXN E. ONE1LL,' 10 adjacent the belt as it passes around the JOHN M. Dn'rrro.

HUBERT S. "Wl i BELEK.. 

